The diaries of this volume show the search for pastoral and farming land to the east of the settled districts, and, little known and rarely mentioned, for a possible route through to the eastern colonies.

The push eastward was started by settlers, sometimes sponsored by the various Agricultural Societies, well before the colonial government took a more active role.

Exploring Eastward extends to the mid-1880s, after which time prospectors were in the field, filling in the ‘gaps’ left by the pioneer explorers.